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Boris Johnson has said the government is considering tighter restrictions on travel from France to prevent variants of the coronavirus from entering the UK.
The prime minister said putting France on the “red list” was “something we will have to consider” due to concerns about the effectiveness of vaccines against the new variants.
Speaking in front of high-ranking deputies on the House of Commons Liaison Committee, he said “we have to look at the situation in the Canal,” adding that “we cannot rule out tougher measures and will implement them if necessary.”
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Labor MP Yvette Cooper, who chairs the committee, said France had between 2 and 3,000 variant cases and asked why it was not on the “red list” of countries.
Johnson responded: “We will make a decision, no matter how difficult, to interrupt that trade, to interrupt those flows, if we believe that it is necessary to protect public health and stop the entry of new variants.
“We may have to do that very soon.”
The prime minister said a balance must be struck between the need to protect public health and any major disruption to the flow of goods, including food and medicine.
Boris Johnson speaking to the committee
The interruption of the movement through the canal could see a repetition of the Christmas scenes in which thousands of trucks were stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the port of Dover.
This delay was also due to concerns about the spread of variants of the coronavirus, although at the time it was France that wanted to prevent possible contamination from reaching its shores.
In the end, military personnel were recruited to help the drivers be screened and clear the vehicle jam.
The situation at the time was exacerbated by the imminent end of the Brexit transition period.
It occurs when Europe faces the prospect of a third wave of the coronavirus.
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During today’s committee hearing, Ms. Cooper asked Mr. Johnson why carriers are not currently being evaluated.
The prime minister responded: “The stricter measures would cause a very serious disruption of these trade flows and that must be balanced with the current ambiguity about the efficacy of the vaccines in the variants.”
Sarah Laouadi, European policy director at industry body Logistics UK, has said drivers are “low risk” and that evidence must be “proportionate.”
She said: ‘It is vitally important to protect the UK’s highly interconnected supply chain from the threat of new COVID-19 variants and rapid tests of drivers upon arrival in the UK will provide additional confidence for those whose companies supply. “.
However, it should be remembered that drivers are, by the nature of their work and thanks to contactless delivery procedures, a very low-risk category, as evidenced by tests carried out on drivers since the start of the pandemic. and any testing regime must be proportionate. “
